Hi,
I hope someone will be able to assist me. Im building a simple fan controller with a transistor (TIP31) and i have some concerns on the heat levels of the transistor.
According to my calculations, there is at most 1W of power dissapated from the transistor.
Is it normal for the transistor to get this hot at 1W? (i cant really touch the metal portion of the TIP31 (TO-220 package)).
Do i need a to install a heatsink or is it fine that the transistor runs this hot?
Thanks
I hope someone will be able to assist me. Im building a simple fan controller with a transistor (TIP31) and i have some concerns on the heat levels of the transistor.
According to my calculations, there is at most 1W of power dissapated from the transistor.
Is it normal for the transistor to get this hot at 1W? (i cant really touch the metal portion of the TIP31 (TO-220 package)).
Do i need a to install a heatsink or is it fine that the transistor runs this hot?
Thanks